carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij 

1

: the flesh of slain animals or humans

… a multitude of dogs came to feast on the carnage.

—T. B. Macaulay

2

: great and usually bloody slaughter or injury (as in battle)

the carnage of war

Synonyms of carnage

• massacre
• slaughter

Examples of carnage in a Sentence

Reporters described the highway accident as a scene of carnage.

the appalling carnage in that war-torn country requires that the outside world intervene

Recent Examples on the Web

Not all software stocks appear to be losers after the sector's recent carnage, according to Goldman Sachs. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026

Reddick had to avoid the carnage in front of him even as William Byron bounced off him. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026

These are the stories of four killed during January’s carnage. —Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026

But then, with one lap to go and the white flag already out, his Open-car competitor Corey LaJoie spun out, and instead of braking and avoiding the carnage, Mears smashed his foot on the pedal and zoomed ahead of LaJoie before the caution came out. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Medieval Latin carnaticum tribute consisting of animals or meat, from Latin carn-, caro — see carnal

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij 

: great destruction of life (as in battle) : slaughter